Hollow Days
by Carmen O'Reilly
Summary: Ichigo's still recovering in his inner world, so guess who's taken over? Everyone's favorite Hollow is back! How will he fair in the Real World? How will Rukia cope? And how will Ichigo NOT die laughing! Sequel to The Hollow, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Hi people! Here's the long awaited sequel to The Hollow! I hope you enjoy it and feel free to PM me or review this story to request ideas! Hope you enjoy this!

Rukia looked at the strawberry haired boy in annoyance.

"How many times are you going to do that?" she growled, grabbing his shirt and yanking him away from the lamppost, "They're _just_ vehicles!"

"But they MOVE! On their OWN! How is that even POSSIBLE?" he shrieked, clinging to the lamppost tightly, eyes wide.

Passers-by regarded the scene with some amusement. Rukia shook her head, tugging even harder.

"For pity's sake!" she hissed, "They move because they can! Just like you! Anyway, you see them in Ichigo's mind all the time! What's the problem?"

"They look so small on the screen!" the Hollow whined. Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"What screens?" she asked, tilting her head and releasing his shirt.

"The big screens, the ones in the buildings in King's world!" He drew a big rectangle in the air, momentarily releasing his grip on the lamppost.

Rukia didn't miss the opportunity. She tackled him and dragged him away from the lamppost, ignoring the outrages screeches. It had taken them half an hour to get away from Kisuke, and she was NOT going to go ring for assistance again!

She began dragging the Hollow down the road, ignoring the looks people were giving them and she dragged him towards the Kurosaki Clinic, whiny Hollow boy being dragged behind.

This was what she didn't agree with. She was _deliberately_ putting humans in danger of being eaten by a Hollow, and worse still, a hugely powerful Hollow with homicidal tendencies. And she _still_ had no idea why. All Kisuke had done was wave his fan in her face and tell her not to worry. It didn't exactly reassure her.

The Hollow growled under his breath.

Ichigo's breathless laughter filled his head.

"_She's right,"_ he chortled, _"They won't kill you!"_

"_Tell that to all the people who die in car crashes," _Tensa uttered in his usual monotone.

The Hollow was sick of them both.

"_IT'S NOT FUNNY!" _ he howled at them, resigning himself to the fact that he was probably going to suffer this until King recovered. How King didn't go crazy was beyond him.

"I'm lucky I'm already insane," he muttered, shaking his head. Rukia looked down at him and shook her head. Looks like this would be _fun_.

It took them another ten minutes to get to the Kurosaki Clinic. She stopped before they came into view of the window. She crouched down next to the Hollow.

"Listen," she hissed, quietly and darkly, "If you harm _anyone_ here, not only will Ichigo give you hell, but I will personally insure you NEVER get out of his inner world again. Understand?"

Ichigo's brown eyes clouded over, allowing her a glimpse of the Hollow inside.

"I understand ya, no need to come so close!" he hissed back, his voice splitting into two-tone again.

"I will come as close as I like!"

The Hollow narrowed his eyes, letting his evil, insane grin dance into existence, making sure the midget soul reaper saw the menace behind it.  
"Just you try it, you'll lose more than I will! But if it'll make the ickle soul reaper feel _better_," he said, smiling still, "I swear on my little Hollow heart that everyone in that house will remain untouched."

Rukia glowered at him. "What heart?"

The Hollow pouted. It looked so strange to see Ichigo's face so animated.

"That wasn't very nice!"

"Neither are you!"

"Point taken."

Rukia stood up, pulling him with her.

"Now," she said, serious and commanding, "Ichigo's family are _not to notice_ that Ichigo's not home, got it?"

The Hollow rolled his eyes. This was his third lecture on the point. He mock-saluted her and concentrated. Within seconds, Ichigo's brown eyes were back, the yellow and black gone. He tried to copy Ichigo's usual scowl.

Rukia looked uneasy. She shook her head. "No, never do that again."

The Hollow dropped the act. "What did I do wrong?" he whined.

"You were forcing your face downwards."

"That's what he _does_!"

"No. He keeps it straight, in a line."

The Hollow glared at her. Sighing, he tried again. He held his lips straight for a few seconds before his they started twitching. Rukia noticed.

"Hold it!" she muttered, "Hold it, hold it, hold it!"

But it was too much. He lasted a couple more seconds before the creepy smile was backing, high pitched laughter accompanying it. Rukia put her head in her hands. This was _never_ going to work.

Reluctantly, she turned her back on the laughing Hollow and walked over to the front door. The Hollow followed, looking a little more sober.

With great reluctance, she pushed open the door. Let the chaos begin!

The Hollow followed her inside. And gaped.

Nothing was new to him, not with watching King's life on a screen day after crazy day, but the colours were brighter, more surreal...more alive. That was, until something collided with his stomach, his arm wrenched behind his back and some HUGE weight crushed his back.

Screching every curse word he knew, the Hollow writhed underneath the laughing demon.

"Ha ha Ichigo! You've gotten slower over you're absence!" he hollered, louder that most of the battles the Hollow had been in, "You stupid-"

"GET OFF ME!" he yelled, grabbing his assailant's leg and launching him away from him. He heard him scream and a huge crash. The screaming cut off abruptly. The Hollow got to his feet and glared at the man lying in the crater of a wall. He had dark hair, scraggly day-old beard and eyes swimming with crocodile tears. Isshin. Fantastic.

He crawled out of the wall and ran into the kitchen.

"MASAKI! Our son has just returned and he's bullying me! What should I do?"

"HEY! You attacked me first!" the Hollow hollered.

The whole house went silent.

Suddenly, thunderous footsteps could be heard approaching at high speeds. The Hollow readied himself for another attack, poised and alert. A pink and white blur came into the doorway, squealed and launched itself at him. The Hollow tensed, ready for everything...

But a hug.

Startled, he looked down at the blonde around his waist. She looked up, big brown eyes swimming with tears.

"Onii-chan!" she cried, burying her face into his shirt, "You're home!"


	2. Chapter 2

HI! Sorry for this being so late, my internet is awful. Hope you enjoy this, and if anyone thinks that this fanfic is pointless... be nice about it. I have a challenge for anyone who decides to critique this fic. Try to write as many positives as negatives! Enjoy!

"_Onii-chan? Really?"_ the Hollow groaned mentally, _"Is it really so hard to tell the difference between the two of us?"_

"Apparently_," _Zangetsu muttered, sounding amused.

"_WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" _Ichigo growled, "_Hug her back!"_

Hesitantly, the Hollow wound his arms around the girl, hoisting her up in his arms. She was laughing shakily, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face there. A small smile sprung to his lips automatically.

"It's good to be home...Yuzu," he murmured, praying he'd got the right name. He had. She smiled happily. He put her down and she hurried into the kitchen, completely ignoring her sobbing father, and running to the stairs.

"Karin-chan!" she called, cupping a hand to her mouth, "Ichi-nii's come home!"  
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and an annoyed voice drifted down them.

"I know, Yuzu! I heard Otō-san yelling about it!"

The Hollow walked into the kitchen, still marvelling about how the colours near blinded him. A black-haired girl, about the same height and age as Yuzu had walked down the stairs. As near as he could remember, the girls were twins, but polar opposites. Karin was a tomboy, loving sports and boyish clothes, with a hardcore attitude towards life, whereas Yuzu was the girly-girl, loving cooking and dresses, being more motherly towards everyone.

Karin looked the Hollow up and down, eyes narrowing. "Ichi-nii?"

"Mm?" the Hollow said, looking at her.

"Where have you _been_?" she asked, hands on hips.

_Oh hell... _

"Umm...You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" he said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"_HELP ME GUYS!" _he screeched internally.

"_Umm...Zangetsu? Any ideas?" _Ichigo gulped, cursing himself for not asking Kisuke earlier.

"If it helps," Rukia interjected, "I found him at the Urahara Shoten."

_Thank you!_

Silence settled on the room.

"What were you doing there, Ichigo?" Isshin asked, brow furrowed, head tilted at a quizzical angle.

"Helping the manager out. He said he needed some stock moving, so I offered to help." the Hollow improvised, looking at Rukia, who nodded.

Isshin watched him for a minute, before shrugging. "Okay! Yuzu what's for dinner? I'm starving!"

"Curry!" she chirped, stirring a pan.

"_Can I even eat human food?"_ the Hollow wondered, leaning against a wall, watching his "sister" cook.

"Oh by the way, Onii-chan, Keigo called yesterday! He said he had a new game for you to play!"

"'Kay thanks, Yuzu." the Hollow called, sloping over to the phone in Isshin's office.

He picked up the receiver and looked at it. Then looked some more. How the hell did you use it?

He heard Ichigo sigh.

"_Why don't you go upstairs to my room and get my mobile?" _

The Hollow followed his instructions, ignoring the bemused expressions of his "family" as he trundled up the stairs.

He arrived in "his room", looking in amusement at the number 15 on the door. Shaking his head, he pushed open the door and flicked on the light. Ichigo pictured his phone in his head (a slim, silver thing with a flip-up screen) and the Hollow set to work. He scoured the desk, the wardrobe, the floor...and couldn't find it. He heard something move behind him. He stiffened and waited. Who would attack him here?!

A small stuffed lion hurtled out of nowhere and kicked him in the chest. Which did nothing. At all. It sunk to the ground in a disgruntled heap. The Hollow crouched down and picked it up, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

"OI! That's _my_ line, jerk!" it yowled, writhing in his grip.

The Hollow stared at it, remembering who it was when he heard Ichigo groan. Kon, the perverted teddy bear-mod soul thingy.

"Kon? Stop struggling. I'm not gonna kill ya!" he muttered, shaking the teddy around.

"You're a hollow! How do I know you won't?!" it growled, still swinging around like a pendulum with a mane.

"Can you help me find Ichigo's phone?" he asked, standing and clutching the teddy around the waist, ignoring the outraged squeals.

"NO!" it shrieked, pounding its plush fists down on his wrist, "I'm not helping you!"

The Hollow smiled evilly.

"Well, if you're not going to be helpful," he hissed, menacingly, "maybe I _will_ kill you!"

Kon stopped struggling. His expression seemed to be the closest a teddy can get to fear.

"Check his bag," it squeaked, quietly and timidly, pointing at the bag hanging off the chair.

"Thank you!" the Hollow said, setting Kon down on the floor. The teddy collapsed, breathing heavily. The Hollow smirked as the laughter rang in his ears. He rummaged through the bag, searching for the phone. Finally, after what seemed like an age, he found it. His fingers wrapped around it and he pulled it out. He flipped the screen out and stared at the device in bewilderment.

"_What's wrong now?" _Ichigo groaned, sounding pained and annoyed at the same time.

"_How do you turn it on?" _the Hollow asked, sheepishly.

"_...Seriously?!" _

"_HEY! I spend all my time in the back of your head! I don't know how to work these things!" _the Hollow whined internally.

He heard Ichigo sigh.

"_Press the button with a little green telephone on it, and hold it down until the screen comes on." _he instructed, like he was talking to a little kid. The Hollow did as he was told, trying not to get annoyed. It would blow his cover if he had a shouting match with an internal voice. And possibly get Ichigo sent to a lunatic asylum.

Sure enough, the screen came to life, glowing with white light. It played a little tune before it came to a blue screen with little icons all over it.

"_Now what?" _he asked, tilting his head at a quizzical angle.

"_Now you press the big button, the one without numbers on it."_

The Hollow looked at the buttons. There was one that was glowing faintly.

"_That one?" _

"_Yes, that one!" _

The Hollow pressed it and watched as the screen changed, yet again. It now was white, with lots more icons all over it. The middle icon had a glowing circle around it.

"_Now use the raised square over the big button you just pressed to get to the grey phonebook icon."_

The Hollow looked critically over the button, before hesitantly pressing the left side of the button.

"IT MOVED!" he shrieked, completely forgetting he was not in Ichigo's head.

"Onii-chan?" Yuzu's voice floated up the stairs, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine!" he called back, trying to sound calmer, hurriedly navigating the glowing circle to the small icon of a phone book. He clicked the centre button and the screen changed again. Scores of names came up.

"_Look for Keigo, K-E-I-G-O, got it?"_

"_Yeah, yeah_ _King, I get ya!"_

"_Well, do it then!"_

"_Keep ya hair on!" _

Scrawling through the names, he selected the one that matched the spelling King had given him. Quickly he clicked on it. Keigo's phone number flashed up, along with a flashing green icon. The Hollow clicked the button again and the phone emitted a strange vibration.

"_It's calling Keigo now, so put the phone to your ear and when he picks up, I'll tell you what to say."_

"_Yeah, yeah, I know already!"_

The Hollow put the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone. He heard a click and a bleary voice muttered, "Ichigo? What are you calling me for?"

"Nice to meet you too, Keigo," he retorted sarcastically. He swore he could hear Ichigo growling. It made him smile.

"Yeesh! Sorry!" Keigo cried, sounding exasperated, "Why're you calling, Ichigo?"

"You called me, if Yuzu told me correctly."

He heard a weary sigh down the phone. The Hollow felt Ichigo's confusion. Keigo, it seemed, was acting very oddly.

"Okay, you wanna know? I found this creepy-as-hell sign scrawled in my room. Happy?" he growled, sounding really ticked off.

"Okay...what's bad about that? I mean, why did you call me over that?" the Hollow asked, injecting his tone with boredom.

"BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU COULD HELP ME! IS IT TOO MUCH FOR ME TO ASK!? I MEAN I TRY TO BE HAPPY BUT-" Keigo yelled, furious. The Hollow held the phone away from his ear, trying to avoid being deafened.

"_You have some seriously screwed-up friends, King. What the hell is with this guy!?" _the Hollow whined, ignoring Keigo's mad ranting down the phone.

"_Don't look at ME!" _Ichigo replied, sounding shocked _"He's not normally like this! It's like he's flipped out!"_

Suddenly, the voice shouting down the phone stopped. Eerie silence engulfed the room like a fog of death.

The Hollow put the phone to his ear again.

"Hello? Keigo?"

"It's here!" he whispered, sounding terrified, "It heard me! I'm dead! It's gonna kill me! Ichigo! You've gotta help me! Oh hell! Help me! Please!"

The Hollow hear a low creaking sound. He heard Keigo inhale sharply. He could almost _feel_ the guy's terror. Ichigo's burdensome worry filled his head, and he growled softly. He _hated_ feeling protective.

"Keigo?" he called again, weary and annoyed.

That's when it all went wrong.

He heard whispered cussing and another creak. Keigo started screaming, and the sound of blows being exchanged echoed down the phone. He heard Keigo cry out again, but it was faint and far away. Then, the crying stopped. Measured footsteps could be heard, and he heard a whoosh of air as someone picked it up.

"**YOU'RE NEXT!**" a loud, high, ringing voice wailed, "**YOU'RE NEXT!**"

Then, there was nothing but static.

The Hollow stared at the phone.

"What in the HELL was that?!" he yowled, staring at the phone in disbelief.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! It's good to get back to typing this! I apologise for the slow updating, my other fanfic needed some attention. I hope you enjoy this!

The Hollow put down the phone, his heading ringing with the dial tone, and sighed in annoyance. He could feel irrational panic rising in his chest, panic that didn't belong to him.

"_KING! If ya don't calm down, I swear I'll kill Keigo MYSELF!" _he growled, silently.

There was silence for a minute before...

"_You wouldn't, you have no reason to."_ Zangetsu replied, calmly. Too calmly. The Hollow frowned; annoyed that Ichigo hadn't started shouting yet.

"_Yeah, I do! He yelled at me for no reason, scared the hell outta Kingy, who is NOW forcing his panic on me and may have possibly set a psychopath after us! It's the most legit death threat I've made yet!"_

Now he could feel it. Ichigo's anger. It was bubbling around in the base of his skull like a volcano. He smirked. About time!

"_And here I thought I was the most evil creature in this world! Apparently not! Keigo found me a challenger! Guess I'll need to do something drastic..."_

"_THAT'S NOT FUNNY, YOU LITTLE-"_

King's shouting was muffled by Zangetsu clamping a hand over his face.

"_He's not being serious, Ichigo. Do not over-react!" _Zangetsu hissed, struggling to keep Ichigo quiet.

There was a muffled shout, which the Hollow interpreted as Ichigo replying, but he couldn't be bothered with the banter anymore. Yawning, he put the phone down on the desk and left the room, closing the door behind him. He walked down the stairs to his "family".

A warm, rich smell permeated the air. It smelled amazing, almost as good as the smell of a soul! His empty stomach growled like a ravening wolf. He ran to the table, jumped in a seat between Rukia and Karin and sniffed again, nearly salivating. Karin looked at him in surprise. Isshin laughed, setting plates and bowls out by Yuzu, so she could start serving up.

"Well, son, Yuzu's cooking _is_ incredible! Comparative to dear Masaki's, even!" he said, good-naturedly. Yuzu's eyes swam with tears at the compliment. "You really mean that, Otō-san?" she whispered, happily. He nodded, walking over to the table and sitting down. Yuzu blushed, dishing steaming rice into the bowls. The Hollow watched her-well, watched the food- nodding absently at Isshin. Soon she was done and started ladling curry into the bowls. The Hollow stared, entranced, as the rich, runny liquid soaked into the rice, brown hunks of meat sitting with the white rice. His stomach growled as she put down the bowl.

Isshin watched him, amused. Then, his smile widened as a n evil thought occurred to him.

"Hungry, son?" he asked, innocently. The Hollow nodded vigorously, not looking away.

"Well, too bad! It's mine, ya hear? ALL MINE!" Isshin shouted, making a dash for the bowl. He really should have known better.

The Hollow tore after him, catching up easily, before kicking his knee (making him collapse) and launching him behind, back towards the table. He grabbed the bowl and walked back to the table, sitting back down and glaring at Isshin, who was trying to extract himself from the wall.

Eyes swimming with crocodile tears, Isshin ran to the poster of his wife, and started sobbing into it.

"MASAKI! Our son is not letting me eat! What should I do?"

"Shut up, Otō-san!" Karin muttered, picking up the bowl Yuzu had placed in front of her and bringing it to her lips, "No-one cares!"

"B-but-"

Yuzu looked at him, setting down a bowl in his empty space before sitting down. "Come on Otō-san, sit down and eat," she entreated, smiling prettily.

Sniffling, Isshin sat down, glaring at his "son", who was busy wolfing down his food like it was the end of the world. Isshin had never seen him eat so fast. He didn't want to see it again. It made him feel nauseous.

Appetite sated, the Hollow set his bowl down and stretched, content, as a sleepy smile wove its way onto his face. All of a sudden, an icy shiver shot down his spine, chilling him to the core. His left eye twitched and he went still. Fear, cold, undiluted fear, ran through his veins. He could _sense_ something watching him, malignant and evil. For the first time in his life, the Hollow felt genuinely afraid.

"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu called, brows furrowed, looking at her brother, who had paused mid-stretch, lips pursed in concern, "Are you alright?"

"_Act like nothing happened!" _Ichigo hissed; panic cracking his voice; _"Pretend to be fine!"_

Ichigo could feel it too, he wasn't imagining it.

"Damn, you can cook Yuzu!" he crowed, fixing a large, fake smile in place, getting up and putting his bowl by the sink. Without waiting for her response, he ran back upstairs to his room, taking the stairs two at a time. Heart beating at a speed that rivaled Byakuya Kuchiki's shunpo, he raced to his room. He threw open the door, not noticing as it crashed into the wall. There, scrawled in what seemed to be fresh blood, was a large, staring, glaring eye, blood trailing down the wall. Then, the world span…and the eye blinked. What would have been the iris flooded with red, the pupil became slitted and the eye blinked again. The eye fixed straight at him and he stopped breathing. Not voluntarily. Not at all. It was more like his throat closed up. His hand flew to his throat, retching, trying desperately to breath. The world faded to black. The Hollow was vaguely aware of hitting the floor, but he was more preoccupied with the creature in front of him.

It looked humanoid-female, he thought- wearing a ragged, stained kimono. She padded, bare footed, across to where he was lying, blood-streaked brunette hair obscuring her face. She crouched down next to him, and her hair shifted to reveal one of her eyes. It was just like the one on the wall, red and slitted, but with a dead hopelessness embedded inside.

"Are you Kurosaki?" she hissed in a voice as dry as sandpaper, with more venom than a hundred cobras. He couldn't answer, paralyzed with terror. Her head tilted, her neck bones cracking. "You are he?" she croaked again, her visible eye glaring. Silence. Evidently dissatisfied, she extended a hand as white as that of a corpse, and touched his face.

Lightning shards of agony ripped through his body, making him writhe and scream, twist and screech at the contact. She was colder than anything he had ever experienced. The eye remained empty, but a spark of sadistic curiosity was being kindled within. After what seemed like an age, she removed her hand and shuffled away. The Hollow felt her malevolent aura fade and, finally able to breathe, sank into oblivion.

"GOOD MORNING ICHIII-GOOOO!"

The Hollow's eyes snapped open, in time to see feet descending towards his face. He slapped the feet away, sending his assailant on a collision course with the wall. If the idiot's shouting hadn't woken the neighbors, the impact certainly did. The assailant- Isshin- smiled at his unspeakably furious "son".

"Well done, my son! I have nothing left to teach y-"

The Hollow grabbed him by the throat, hauling him up out of his wall.

"If you _ever_," he growled, eyes narrowing maliciously, "wake me up like that again, I will make sure you never see the lights of day again!"

Isshin raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with his threat. "Perhaps I _do_ need to teach you something after all!"

He broke the Hollow's chokehold, snapped his arm behind his back and forced him to the floor. The Hollow struggled uselessly against him.

"It's called respect for your elders," he stated clearly, but quietly, as if he didn't want to be overheard. The Hollow stopped moving, glaring daggers at his "father".

"_He wouldn't last two minutes if I used my Cero!"_ he snarled, internally. He could sense Ichigo wincing at his efforts to get free. With a resigned sigh, Isshin let him get free. He helped him stand and muttered, "Get ready for school, you're gonna be late."

The Hollow whirled around, looking at the clock. He cursed, turning back to yell at Isshin, only to find an empty room. He rushed to Ichigo's closet, hurriedly throwing on the uniform. He snatched his bag up, ran downstairs, grabbing some toast from the counter and ran out the front door.

Isshin shook his head as he watched his son running down the street. That kid just needed to relax. Smiling guiltily, he walked back to Ichigo's room and wound the clock back half an hour, to the correct time.

The Hollow reached Karakura High School in minutes, cursing the whole way up. The school was empty, and eerily quiet. The Hollow looked around, confused. He took out Ichigo's phone and checked the time. His eyes narrowed. Cursing Isshin to the blackest circle of hell, he found a shaded spot under a tree and sat down, staring into space. It was only then that he allowed himself to think about…last night.

What the _hell_ had happened?! That crazy, freaky woman had scared the hell out of him. What was with that eye as well? Was she the one who had attacked Keigo? His eyes widened at the thought. If that was the case…the Hollow actually felt deep, sincere pity for him.

"_Hold it!" _Ichigo murmured in the back of his mind, _"The person who screeched down the phone had a different voice!"_

The Hollow's brow furrowed. _"So there's more than one of them?"_ he inquired, hoping someone knew something he didn't.

"_It's a possibility, but I don't think that's right."_ Zangetsu interjected, _"Remember, the being who answered the phone was screaming. The one who attacked us was whispering. It could be the same person."_

"_One thing is certain,"_ Ichigo stated, _"we can NOT leave Keigo in the hands of this…thing!"_

"_Agreed," _Zangetsu nodded, _"It would be murder."_

"_Right, after school, we'll go over to his house and check his room and see if we can find any clues." _Ichigo commanded,strong despite his worry.

The Hollow acquiesced to his wishes, getting up as people began to filter into the yard. He stalked past a group of girls and walked through the corridors to I-3's classroom. He sat down in the seat Ichigo directed him to and stared out of the window. Nobody approached him, not even Rukia, which he was just fine with. When a supply teacher- Mr Yuchikiro- finally got there, he took the roll call and stared his lesson.

About twenty minutes into his class (history of Japan…yawn), there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mr Yuchikiro called, beckoning with his hand.

A man in blue uniform walked into the room, closely followed by the Principle.

In a business-like tone, he began to speak, lacing his hands behind his back.

"Is there an Ichigo Kurosaki in here?" he barked, looking around.

The Hollow raised a hand, wondering what in the world was going on.

The man smiled, like they were best friends.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I'm taking you in for questioning."

The class turned to stare at him.

"WHAT?!" he shouted, disbelieving, "WHAT THE HELL FOR?!"

The policeman walked over and hauled him to his feet.

"We want to talk to you about the disappearance of Keigo Asano."


	4. Chapter 4

Hi, everyone! I am so sorry for the wait time on this chapter. My other story "How it all Began" is testing my patience to the limit with how unsuccessful it's been. So, to apologise to you wonderful readers who have been so patient with me, I'm going to suspend that story and concentrate fully on this one. Sorry it took me so long to realise that the other story was going nowhere. I'll try to be more frequent now.

"_We want to ask you about the disappearance of Keigo Asano."_

The Hollow sat, staring at the wall of the interview room, bored. His chair and the table he was sat at were bolted to the floor and the bright light was starting to give him a headache. The policeman had hauled him away and stuffed him in the back of a police car and driven off, completely ignoring the teen's angry complaints. He had been driven for (as near as he could figure) nearly thirty minutes through the crowded town's bustling streets before they had arrived at a big white building (the police station, Ichigo had informed him) and he had been led through a maze of corridors, past lots of men in uniforms (most of which nodded to the policeman who had abducted him) and finally into the cramped interview room, where he had been sitting for nearly twenty minutes now.

"_SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING!" _he screeched, internally, eye twitching.

"_What would you like us to say?" _ Zangetsu asked, sounding annoyed. The Hollow could picture the expression on his face, the down-turned mouth, flashing glasses and patronizing glare that always managed to annoy him.

"_ANYTHING! I'm gonna go insane and start killing people any minute!" _he yelled, fists clenching.

There was silence for a minute.

"_Um..."_ Ichigo began, only to be cut off by a sharp tapping at the door.

The door opened, and a new inspector walked in. He smiled and sat down at the other empty seat across the table, out of hitting range. The light glinting off his glasses was blinding him. The Hollow raised an eyebrow, annoyed.

"Good day, Kurosaki-san. I'm Inspector Kairyo. It's a pleasure to meet you." he said, politely, extending a tanned hand. The Hollow glared into his watery eyes until he dropped it. The smile faded.

"Well, Kurosaki-san, I guess you know why you're here. We would like to know about what happened to Asano-san. Please tell us what you know." he prompted, running a hand through his slicked-back brown hair.

"What I know? What makes ya think I know anything?" he challenged, folding his arms and slumping back in his seat.

The Inspector smiled thinly. "Well, first off, the last call on the young man's abandoned phone is from you. Second, the two of you, according to Asano-san's older sister, are close friends. And lastly," he said, still calm and smiley, leaning forward and presenting a small plastic bag to the Hollow, "we found your, ah, _distinctive_ hair at the crime scene."

The Hollow snatched the bag up, disbelieving. He stared at the short, orange hairs in it with utter hatred.

"_Damn your genetics, King!" _he seethed, eye twitching again.

"This could be ANYONE'S hair! It's just 'cause I'm orange haired, isn't it?!" he yelled, standing and shaking the bag in the Inspector's face.

The Inspector narrowed his eyes.

"Obviously, we DNA-checked it first. It's definitely yours, Kurosaki-san. So, what happened to Keigo?"

The Hollow sat back in defeat. "I called him last night, I'd been away and he'd called me, so I called to ask him what was up. He started yelling at me down the phone. I don't know why, so I asked what was wrong. He told me that someone had drawn some creepy symbol in his room and half-way through the conversation, he went real quiet. He said something was in his room and that it was after him."

The Hollow paused, moistening his lips before continuing. The Inspector was staring at him, absorbing every word. It was kind of unnerving.

"I heard him hide and then, he dropped the phone. I heard someone attacking him. Then..."

He drew a shuddering breath.

"Then, the attacker picked up the phone and screeched that I was next and...and then..."

His brow furrowed as he concentrated. Something else had happened. There _had_ been something else!

"And then?" the Inspector queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"I-I don't remember. There was something else! DAMN IT! I KNOW there was something else!" he shouted, angry and confused. He put his head in his hands, trying to think. He heard the inspector sigh, and his chair creaked as he got up. He heard him pace the room. He didn't care to look up.

"Is that really all there is to it Kurosaki-san?" he asked, sounding disinterested.

"_You guys don't remember what's missing, do you?" _ the Hollow asked desperately. He was met with only silence.

"Do you remember what happened after you put the phone down, Kurosaki-san?" the Inspector asked softly. The Hollow looked at him, flinching as the Inspector walked closer.

He shook his head, wide-eyed, electricity passing through him and settling in his stomach. Something was wrong.

The Inspector smiled again. The Hollow was starting to want to punch his teeth in.

"I'll tell you."

The Hollow watched him walk around to the front of the desk, poised and calm.

"You left your house."

He sat down, still smiling at the confusion on the youth's face.

"You walked the few minute's walk to Asano-san's apartment."

His smile vanished and he took his glasses off. What was it with guys doing that and looking so damn evil?!

"And then, you climbed up the guttering to his apartment window, attacked Asano-san and dragged his unconscious body off to wherever you are currently keeping him."

The Hollow's eyes narrowed and his reiatsu rose sharply, full of malevolent intent.

"That. Is. Utter. RUBBISH!" he snarled, standing and getting into the Inspector's face. "Keigo is my FRIEND! Why in the HELL would I do that, you twisted freak?"

Unruffled, the Inspector stood.

"That, Kurosaki-san is what I plan to discover. As for your _impaired_ memory, well, dispute the CCTV footage we have of you! If you don't believe me, well, you must have an evil doppelganger that has _exactly the same DNA as you_!"

The teen's eyes seemed to change colour. The Inspector dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"As it stands, Kurosaki-san, I'm placing you under arrest for abduction, hindering a police investigation and as prime suspect in a possible murder." he deadpanned, snapping his fingers. Two burly policemen walked in and jerked his arms behind him, dragging him away.

"Enjoy your cell, Kurosaki-san. Let's hope your memory improves ne?" the Inspector murmured, as he watched them cart off the teen to his cell.

The Hollow glared balefully at him, eyes black and yellow, barely contained growls echoing in the corridor.

"_Well,"_ Ichigo muttered, surprisingly calm considering the situation, _"there goes my faith in the Japanese Justice System."_


	5. Chapter 5

You officially have the right to slap me for not getting this done sooner! I'm so sorry for the waiting. Thanks for the feedback guys! It just really makes my day! I hope you are deriving as much enjoyment from this as I am from writing it! Bleach isn't mine, or Bya would never have been hurt by that awful Quincy! T-T Sorry for the haphazardness with these postings, I am literally up to my elbows in work!

The burly policemen threw him into a cell and locked the door before the orange-haired teen could get up off the floor. One of them winced as the boy's head smacked the bed frame. Angry snarling echoed strangely off the too-close walls and a cold shiver ran down their spines. Something about that kid just _wasn't right! _

Refusing to calm down despite the voices in his head urging him to, the Hollow paced his cell, kicking the chair in the corner and rubbing his head, feral growls tearing from his throat. He kicked the cell door, only to be frustrated by the door's refusal to break. Hollows were NOT supposed to be contained! EVER! How dare they?!

A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he contemplated the looks of terror on that smug inspector's face if he was in his Hollow form.

"_He wouldn't be able to see you," _Ichigo pointed out, trying to keep the peevish anger at his hollow counterpart's antics out of his tone, _"He didn't seem to be able to sense reiatsu."_

"_If he could," _Zangetsu continued, _"the malevolence in your reiatsu would have stopped his heart."_

"I DON'T CARE!" the Hollow screeched, forgetting his companions were in his head, "HE DESERVES TO DIE!"

"_SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" _they howled in unison, "_WE'RE IN YOUR HEAD!" _

The Hollow's snarling increased in volume, fury blocking his ears to the shouting in his head. Enraged, he kicked the door again, this time leaving a small dent in the metal. He smiled viciously and kicked it again, satisfied with the clanging that echoed around his tiny cell. The metal continued to buckle under his relentless assault. Still smiling that awful, crooked, insane grin of his and seemingly heedless of the maniacal laughter that spilled from his lips, he continued.

Suddenly, a speaker crackled somewhere over his head.

"Inmate, stop kicking the door or risk being subdued," a voice-tinny and nearly drowned by static- threatened. The Hollow examined the ceiling and saw the tiny black speaker. He reached for the chair he'd kicked and positioned it underneath it. Just as he was about to crush the speaker, he saw the red light of a CCTV camera winking at him in the dark corner of the cell. His smile grew more pronounced. He got down and repositioned the chair. Climbing up again, he stood and perched on his tiptoes to reach up to grab the camera.

"Get away from there!" the voice in the speaker squawked, "Get away or we'll have you restrained!"

"_Restrained?"_ the Hollow queried silently, tilting his head quizzically.

Ichigo sighed, and the Hollow could imagine how his frown was becoming deeper every second. He was probably regretting every second of his life right now.

"_Restrained means they'll strap you down to a bed in a Psych Ward somewhere and never let you...I mean __me__ out again!"_ Ichigo hissed, sounding more annoyed than ever.

"_Well, at least until they declare you mentally sound." _Zangetsu interjected, sounding slightly amused by the whole situation.

"_But with HIM in control, that will NEVER HAPPEN!" _Ichigo yelled so loudly the Hollow felt the compulsion to cover his ears, which didn't really help.

Zangetsu tried to pacify Ichigo with reassurances of "It's only temporary!" and "If you break my arm, I'll kill you," It didn't work.

The Hollow tuned out their irritating voices and continued to stretch his arm up to the camera. His fingertips _just_ brushed it, so he stretched up further, heedless to the voice issuing commands from the tinny speaker or the shaking of the chair underneath him. He continued to reach, stretching further and further, higher and higher until...

He grabbed the camera.

And the chair slipped out from under him.

He heard everyone go silent and a startled gasp escaped his lips as he felt himself fall, almost in slow motion, to the ground. The room seemed to blur around him, the dull grey in the walls streaking by in a brief, jerky dance until they were brutally brought to a stand-still by his head connecting with the floor. The loud crash echoed off the walls and seemed to fill the whole world. He tasted something warm and coppery and he tried to blink the black spots out of his vision, with little success. Little, sharp objects dug into his hand and he could feel the blood dripping down, like a little red river.

Groaning, he moved his hand and, trying to ignore the red, opened his clenched fist. Black shards of crumpled, destroyed plastic were digging into his pale flesh. He stared at them for a minute, not comprehending. Then, it struck him like lightning. It was the remnants of that damn camera!

Another deafening crash echoed into the room. Forgetting the camera, he clenched his fist, hissing as the little particles dug deeper into his skin. His head snapped around, teeth bared. His baleful glare came to rest on a young, sandy-haired policeman, whose thin fingers were curled around a small black, gun-shaped thing.

"Don't move!" he barked, trying to keep the quiver out of his voice. The Hollow smirked. A newbie, obviously.

"I'm serious! Do NOT move!" he ordered, trying to inject authority into his tone.

"Repeating yourself does nothing," the Hollow growled, wincing as he stood, "Now get that thing away from my face!"

He began to walk towards the officer, hand reaching for the door.

"I told you not to move!" the flustered officer yelled, grip tightening around the gun-thingy.

The Hollow leaned on the door, in the guy's face. "And I don't give a damn. Get lost!"

"Threatening a police officer is an offense, kid," a new voice barked from the corridor.

The Hollow craned his neck around the officer, trying to locate the speaker.

He saw a pudgy, balding man, holding two drinks. He could smell the coffee from his cell. His smirk grew.

"So what? What're ya gonna do? Sit on me?" he taunted, flashing a devious smile in the senior officer's direction.

The older officer growled in a pathetic imitation of a cat in a sandstorm.

"Don't mock me, kid!" he warned, raising a hand and pointing at the Hollow.

"Oh, wait. You'd have to catch me to sit on me. I doubt you can catch anything but a cold!" the Hollow continued, lazily reclining on the door. The younger officer covered his snigger with a cough, but couldn't hide the smile on his face. His superior's eyes narrowed.

"You got a problem with authority, don't you, kid?" he snarled, crushing the plastic cups in his hands as he elbowed the rookie out of the doorway and stood almost nose to nose with the Hollow. Or as close to nose to nose as you can get when you're half a foot shorter than your opponent.

"Authority? Where?" the Hollow queried, looking around, arms crossed over his chest. The rookie snorted, green eyes closing as he tried to contain his laughter.

The older officer wasn't impressed. His periwinkle eyes got even narrower.

"Do you wanna get tased, kid? Keep talking and that's what'll happen!" he threatened, spit flying from his mouth in his rage.

"_Tased?" _the Hollow asked, tilting his head quizzically, pretending to be thinking on the officer's words.

"_Shot with electricity. You will go down like a sack of bricks. Avoid it, please." _Ichigo supplied, wincing.

"Well," the Hollow smiled, "If I stop, you won't!"

The officer tried to narrow his eyes further, trying to tower over the teen imposingly.

"Also," the Hollow continued, staring down at the man, "it's so damn difficult to take you seriously with your eyes shut. So come back when you aren't falling asleep!"

The officer glared at him, furious.

"What did you just say?!" he fumed, fat fingers gripping his now-drawn taser waving threateningly in the Hollow's face.

"What? You deaf as well as dumb?" the Hollow challenged, knocking the taser away from his nose.

"THAT'S IT!" he roared, bringing the taser back around. The Hollow smacked his hand away and punched him square in the face. It made a satisfying crunching sound. Fatty fell backwards, clutching his face.

Redness poured from beneath his fingers.

...Not good.

"ASSUALT! ASSUALT!" the fat man screeched, holding his bloody nose and waving frantically from the ground. The rookie's smile melted in an instant and his taser cracked like a whip as those thin, pale fingers squeezed the trigger.

Two thin barbs pricked the skin in his neck and, almost in slow-motion; two thin blades of lightning began to dance down the wires.

"_PULL THOSE THINGTS OUT OF YOUR NECK!" _Ichigo hollered, trying in vain to move the Hollow's arms.

The Hollow's hand flew to his throat and was mere millimetres from the metal... when the lightning beat him to it. He jerked like a marionette under the control of Yachiru Kusajishi and collapsed in an unconscious heap on the floor.

The fat officer stopped yelling, stood up and hauled the boy into his cell, dumping him roughly onto the low bed. Still sporting a bloody nose, he clapped the young officer on the shoulder.

"Well done, Toshio, that kid's dangerous," he murmured, shuffling down the corridor, clutching his face.

"_More like 'You stopped that kid giving me backchat!' "_ the younger man thought angrily, walking in the opposite direction from his superior, towards the mess hall, past the junction. He needed a coffee.

He didn't see a pale hand grip the corner of a junction. Nor did he hear the slow, laboured breathing that floated down the corridor. He completely missed how the temperature seems to drop a few degrees, nor see the pallid creature that emerged from the darkness; it's loose, long hair obscuring it's face.

He also missed the awful, jerky, stop-motion shuffle the creature made as it moved towards the cell, it's searching, grasping hand closing on the door handle gently lowering it, before nudging the door open and stepping inside the threshold...


	6. Chapter 6

Hi, friends! SNOW DAY! Therefore, more work can be done! :D This is also an apology for taking sooooooo long to update. I'm very sorry.

Bleach isn't mine, and I wish my internet connection wasn't either...

The Hollow opened his eyes, groaning and rubbing his neck. Damn that taser and its wielder to hell. He stiffened; only releasing then that something heavy was curled on his chest. He looked down and saw huge green eyes staring intently at his face.

Suddenly, he saw a flash of white and the creatures face split into a huge grin.

"You guys!" the creature warbled, looking away and into the corner of the dark cell, "Itsugo is awake now!"

Out of the shadows, came two familiar faces. One was a gangly white hollow, tall and pencil thin, with a plain mask. His companion was his opposite. He was round; yellow, with a mask that belonged to a carnival.

"It's about time, Ichigo!" the thin one shouted, completely ignoring the fact that they were only a few paces away.

"Yeah, Ichigo," the other rumbled in a deep base voice, "You've been sleeping forever, don't cha know?"

Pesche and Dondiochakka!

...Which meant the lump on the floor was none other than Nel.

Sure enough, the little green lump looked up, her short, green hair tickling her cheeks and climbed back onto his chest and began hugging his shoulders.

"Itsugo is awake! It's great! He's okay now! YAY!" she babbled, nearly squeezing the life out of the poor Hollow.

"_King!" _the Hollow whined, nearly blue in the face, _"Make her stop! I don't even know who she is!"_

"_Yes you do! She's Nel! You know, little girl who went round Las Noches with me!" _Ichigo hissed, sounding annoyed, _"If I remember her name, you certainly should!" _

"_...Wait, is she the little kid who turned into the hot Ex-Espada chick?" _he asked, gasping as Pesche pulled the kid off him, finally free to breathe.

"_..."_ Silence.

"_King?" _ he queried, furrowing his brows, watching as Dondiochakka and Pesche tried to wrestle Nel into not crushing "the berry-headed bad guy".

He heard a strange sound, like choking and a deep, quiet chuckle.

"_You shouldn't have said that while Ichigo was trying to drink, Hollow." _Zangetsu laughed, and the Hollow heard him hitting Ichigo in the back, trying to help him breathe.

"_WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" _Ichigo howled, sounding strangled.

"_What?! She __**was**__ hot!" _the Hollow whined, trying to ignore the faint flush that was making his cheeks burn.

"_SHE'S A __**KID**_!"Ichigo yelled, and the Hollow could practically see his eyes twitching.

"_**NOW**__ she's a kid, yeah, and __**that's**__ freaky, but you cannot deny she was hot when she was older! Mind you, you HAVE ignored that ginger woman for goodness knows how many years..."_

"_..."_ Silence again.

"_King?" _he sighed, still watching the now-violent wrestling with amusement.

"_..." _Still nothing.

"_King?" _

"_You've disturbed him into silence." _Zangetsu marvelled, tapping Ichigo on the head and watching his horrified expression with dry amusement.

"_Mission complete!" _the Hollow smirked, getting up and separating the three hollows, getting tackled by Nel in the process. He loosened the little limpet's grip and sat down on the bed.

Nel was looking at his face again with pure joy, and at her 'brothers' with pure hatred. It was kind of amusing.

"Um, so...what're you guys doing here?" the Hollow asked, patting the kid's skull-like mask.

"Well-" Pesche began, but he was cut off by Nel.

"We saw a huge gap in the air in Hueco Mundo! So we ran through it and ended up in this building and we sensed Itsugo's reiatsu and followed it into this room! Is this your home?" she said, so quickly that the Hollow had a hard time understanding her.

_A gargantua? To a police station?! _

"M-My home?" he asked, looking down at her, "No. This place is a prison. They think I kidnapped a friend and they're holding me here until they can prove otherwise."

Nel's eyes went wide. "They think WHAT?! Itsugo would never, ever, ever, never do that!" she whispered, eyes wider than dinner plates.

"That's the truth, don't cha know!" Dondiochakka affirmed, nodding his giant head.

"Agreed!" Pesche shouted, punching the air. ollHollJH

"There was one problem, Itsugo." Nel announced, looking almost quizzically at him, "Your reiatsu feels weird. How come?"

The Hollow cursed inwardly.

"Um... I'm not Ichigo," he said, awkwardly.

Nel's eyes didn't leave his face; ignoring Pesche's scandalized gasps and Dondiochakka's confused "the berry head has a twin?" face.

"Then who are you?" she asked, her eyes trying to bore into his soul to find the answer.

"...I'm his Inner Hollow." he told her, getting unnerved by her staring.

She tilted her head, confused.

"You don't look like a Hollow, you look like Itsugo!" she stated, pouting.

"She's right, don't cha know!"

"Yeah, prove it!" Pesche yelled. Seriously, didn't the guy know what an _inside voice_ was?!

The Hollow raised an eyebrow. "How do I do that?" he asked, "How can I prove I'm a Hollow? Isn't my reiatsu proof enough?"

"NO!" the three chorused, making him wince at the noise.

"_HELP! What do I do?!" _ the Hollow yelped, questioning his companions.

"_Why don't you summon your mask?" _Ichigo suggested, still sounding slightly disturbed.

"_No, that wouldn't work," _Zangetsu said, struggling to make himself heard over the clamouring of the three other occupants of the room, _"Ichigo does that whenever he can't win a fight by himself."_

"_So he does that a lot!"_ the Hollow snorted, recovering his wits.

He could feel Ichigo glaring at him and smirked.

"_Why don't you fire a cero?" _a female voice squeaked. The Guardian had made herself known once more.

"_...Why didn't I think of that?!" _Ichigo hissed, cursing under his breath.

"_Great idea, thanks!" _the Hollow replied, sounding nervous, _"but can I do that in a human form?" _

"_You should be able to," _Zangetsu pondered, inching warily away from the little girl, lest he get kicked again, _"but it will take a lot more effort. Go ahead and try." _

The Hollow nodded and extended his hand outwards, two fingers extended towards the noisy group older Hollows who were still arguing amongst themselves.

Silently, Nel watched from his lap, eyes sparkling.

"Cero!" he whispered, focusing his reiatsu intensely.

He was rewarded with a small glimmer of red light at his fingertips. He willed it to grow bigger, pouring his strength into it. It grew to the size of a tennis ball, red light illuminating the whole room and bathing the occupants in a creepy red glow.

Something sparkled on the door. The Hollow looked at the sparkle out of the corner of his eye, deciding to check it out later.

He released the cero.

It shot at Pesche and Dondiochakka (who hadn't noticed, they'd been quarrelling that fiercely), passing between their heads and scorching the wall behind them. The room went deathly silent. All three visitors stared at him.

"...That was a real cero, don't cha know!" Dondiochakka whispered in hushed awe.

"And look at his _eyes_!" Pesche hissed, sounding scared,_ "_They're black and yellow!"

"Translation," the Hollow growled, trying to hide the fact he was out of breath and tired, "I AM a Hollow. Like I said earlier."

Nel smiled again, nuzzling into his chest.

"So it was _your_ mask Itsugo used when he was fighting! Wow! You're really strong!" she beamed, death-hugging him again.

"Th-Thanks, Nel," he choked; _really_ not liking having his chest crushed so much.

"You must care a lot about Itsugo to lend him sooo much power! You can be my friend!" she proclaimed, flashing him a huge smile that rivalled his own.

"Y-yeah, sure!" he nodded, not wanting to upset her.

She beamed, kissing his cheek, and bounced off his lap and onto Dondiochakka's shoulders.

"We need to go now, Itsugo's Hollow, but we'll come and visit you again!" she shouted, waving as Pesche opened the door. He waved back, fixing a small smile onto his face. The door slammed shut behind them.

The Hollow sighed, flopping back onto the bed. He could feel a headache coming on. Something glinted in the darkness. He turned his head and looked at it. It was on the door. That must have been what caught his eye when he fired the cero. Puzzled, he got up and padded over to it. He looked at the back of the door in confusion, seeing nothing.

He charged another cero, ignoring the protests of his body and looked again, leaning forwards, peering into the wood...

A strangled scream escaped him and he jumped back in horror.

There, on the door, were the words "FOUND YOU", made from the glass of the camera he had crushed yesterday...

The glass that had been embedded in his hand.

Shakily, slowly, he turned his wrist until it was palm upwards and he shone the light from the cero onto it. There, in what he identified to be his own blood, was another wide, staring eye.

He stumbled backwards, staring in horror. As if he could escape.

Then, to his utter horror, they eye _blinked_, then opened even wider. The same irrational horror that he had felt in the kitchen returned with full force. He began to shake as the suffocating panic tightened within him, crushing him more effectively that one of Nel's over-enthusiastic hugs ever could. His knees hit the bed frame and he fell down, still staring wide-eyed at his palm, which was staring wide-eyed back at him.

Suddenly, the eye narrowed into a slit and the room's temperature plummeted. Something moved behind him. He whirled around, falling off the bed and onto the floor. He saw long, thick hair, a jerky pale arm clawing its way out of the wall. The arm was followed by a torso, landing ungracefully on the bed. The Hollow stumbled back, pushing himself up against the wall. The hair shifted, revealing one single, blood red eye. His palm began to burn.

"HELP!" he screamed, at the top of his lungs, "HELP ME!"

"They can't hear you," the creature whispered, its voice dryer than the Hueco Mundo deserts, "I made sure of that."

The Hollow's voice died in his throat and his knees gave out underneath him. He slumped to the ground.

The creature dropped from the bed, crawling towards him in some sporadic, jerky fashion that just wasn't _right_. The cero died in his hand as it crawled closer. And closer. And closer.

Soon, that blood red eye was inches away from his. The pallid hand of the creature gripped his throat, cutting off his oxygen.

And he was powerless to stop it.

Chanting spewed from its bloodied lips, reminiscent of snakes hissing. He felt his conscious ebbing away. Black spots danced in his vision and his head dipped forward, its vice-like grip unrelenting...

Suddenly, _mercifully,_ the choke-hold vanished.

He heard an outraged shriek that reverberated around his skull, making him wish he could crack it open, anything to get rid of the sound! He also heard the sounds of snarling and a sharp _shink_ of a blade swishing through the air and an agonised howl. He heard a whispered curse in another voice he barely recognised, and a sharp _hiss_ he associated with Kidō. He felt the creature's foul presence retreat and heard the swish of a cloak as a figure stood over him.

"My, my," the figure tutted, sounding _amused_ as he produced a fan and wafting it about, eyes gleaming through the dark, "You really are in trouble, aren't you?"

**A/N: Try writing horror to the "Caramell Dansen". It's surprisingly effective! **


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys! I kind of need anyone reading this to do me a favour. Please, you will help me out tons.

My little brother struggles to read and write. He's in Year 4 in Primary School and he struggles to write in sentences and to read simple books. So, to combat this, my mum charged me with helping him over Easter. So...I and my little brother are going to be releasing some short FFs under the title: "**Stories for Brother**". They are not serious works; it's just a desperate sister's attempt to install a love for writing in her little brother. If you amazing people would do me a **huge** favour by reading and reviewing these to help him build his confidence and give him helpful advice, I would love you all forever. More about this project will be released in the actual Compilation.

Thank you so much!

Bleach isn't mine...

The figure crouched down next to the unconscious teen and produced a torch from the depths of his cloak. He shone it into the glassy, unfocused black and yellow orbs, noting how they dilated in the light. Then, he shone the light onto the boy's throat. The angry red marks stood out on his pale skin like penguins in the desert. He sighed, wiping the hand _not_ holding his zanpakuto across his forehead.

"Oi, Kisuke!" a deep voice mewled from somewhere behind him, "Let me see!"

"Sure, sure Yoruichi," he muttered, stepping aside as the black cat jumped onto the teen's chest, "Just, don't take too long. We have to get out of here before those cops wake up!"

"Well, it's your own fault for knocking them out _without_ checking the dosage!" the cat hissed, glaring at him over her shoulder, "If you had checked_ before_ slipping the sedative into their drinks, we might not have such limited time!"

The duo fell silent as Yoruichi sniffed the air around the angry marks on his throat. She hissed, fur standing on end.

Kisuke looked at her questioningly.

"Hollow!" she spat, jumping back, "Strong, obviously, it subdued him, but I can't tell which type yet."

Kisuke's brow furrowed. "The creature didn't look like a hollow. It looked like that creepy woman from that horror film you made me watch three years ago, what was it called? Ju...Ju..."

"Ju-On: The Grudge?"

"That's it!" Kisuke cheered, smiling fondly.

Yoruichi's face twisted into a cat's approximation of a grin.

"You weren't so happy when you watched it!" she snickered, slinking around his sandaled feet.

"That's 'cause I was convinced I was gonna _die_ if I went into the dark storeroom! Seriously, I don't like stalkers!" he protested, looking down at her in disdain.

"Well," a weak voice coughed, "You sure seem like a stalker from where I'm sitting."

"Hollow?" Kisuke started, turning to look at him in surprise, "You're awake?"

"Now, yeah," he muttered, rubbing his throat, "What're you doing here, Hat-'nd-Clogs?"

The cat and the shopkeeper stared at him.

"Seriously?" Yoruichi exclaimed, "We saved you from that creature!"

The Hollow tilted his head quizzically.

"What creature?" he queried, sounding confused, "The only creatures in here were Nel and her friends!"

"Nel?" Yoruichi questioned, looking at him blankly, "Who's Nel?"

"A little girl, about so big," the Hollow described, holding a hand about three feet up from the ground, "Green hair, hollow mask shaped like a skull who went round Las Noches with Ichigo and her two brothers, Pesche and Dondiochakka! She's an ex-espada, stuck as a child-hollow thingy."

The pair stared at him blankly.

"Hollows?" Kisuke queried, stoking his chin thoughtfully. When the Hollow nodded affirmation, he frowned.

"How did they get here?" Yoruichi spluttered, looking from one man to the other.

"Nel said that there was an open gargantua in Hueco Mundo that led straight to here," the Hollow answered, his brow creasing as a new question sprung to light.

"Wait, how is that possible? Nel can't open a gargantuan and Pesche and Dondiochakka don't have _nearly _enough reiatsu!"

They looked at Kiskue expectantly. He spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" he asked, sounding slightly indignant.

"Never mind," the Hollow muttered, waving a hand around. Kisuke strode forward and snatched his wrist, eyes wide.

"HEY!" the Hollow yelled, "What're you doing?!"

Kisuke flipped his palm over. On it was a bloody eye that sent a chill straight down his spine. Something fluttered in his head, something with a pallid, cold hand reaching for his neck through the dark. It fluttered right on the edge of memory, but refused to make itself known. He stared harder, trying to remember, trying to stop the hand from shaking in Kisuke's grasp.

Suddenly, Kisuke's lips curved into a smile.

"So, Hollow," he began, "What do you remember after this Nel character left?"

The Hollow stared, frowning.

"Nothing, why? What should I remember?"

"You were attacked by a creature not a half-hour ago," Yoruichi said flippantly, "It nearly killed you."

"WHAT?!"

"Remarkable!" Kisuke whispered, smiling, "He doesn't remember a _thing_! Maybe it secretes something that wipes memories of it away! Or perhaps-"

"OR PERHAPS!" a stern voice barked from behind them, "Perhaps, you have drugged a policeman AND broken into prison!"

It was that fat officer from earlier.

And he did _not_ look happy.

Damn it all.

"Explain yourselves, NOW!" he spat, eyes narrowing. He seemed to like doing that.

The Hollow tried to stand, but his legs gave out half-way up. The cop looked at him. And smirked. He crouched down next to him, elbowing Kisuke away and pinning his head to the wall by his hair.

"Not so tough now, are you, Kid?" he sneered, eyeing up his abused throat.

"I was gonna say the same thing," the Hollow drawled, staring into his fat, pudgy, irritating face with disinterest, "You seem awful cocky for some guy that got beaten up despite having a _taser _against an unarmed kid. And your little lackey isn't here right now should things go… _horribly_ wrong."

"YOU LITTLE-" he began, but stopped, clutching his throat and retching horribly. He sank to the floor, still retching his heart out, starting to go blue.

Yoruichi looked at Kisuke, who was wincing.

"What did you do _this time_?" she demanded, sounding a little tired.

"Why do you always blame me?" Kisuke protested, holding his hands out in front of him. "You _always_ assume something is my fault!"

Yoruichi glared, luminous eyes shrinking to slits. Kisuke gulped, eye twitching in the shadows cast by his hat.

"Kisuke," she growled, stalking towards him, "Don't make me ask again!"

"I think he was allergic to one of the ingredients in the sedative," Kisuke theorised, still sounding unnerved, "We should probably get back to my shop now."

As if to back up his point, the man's retching stopped and his grasping hands went completely slack as his eyes rolled back into his skull. Blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth. Kisuke ducked his hat, hiding his eyes. Yoruchi's eyes widened in shock. The Hollow gaped, looking from the cop to Kisuke in horror.

"What the _hell _was in it?!" the Hollow yelped, jumping to his feet.

Kisuke didn't say anything. At least, not until Yoruichi glared at him again.

He mumbled something under his breath.

"Speak up, Kisuke," Yoruichi snarled, extending her claws.

Kisuke sighed resignedly, grabbing the cop and hoisting him over his shoulder and striding out of the door.

"Kisuke!" the cat shouted, fur standing on end, claws out.

"Hemlock!" he called back over his shoulder, "Now, are you two coming or not?"


	8. Chapter 8

Hi! I'm so sorry this has taken so long. My exams have been merciless. It's really annoyed me and I can only apologise for the delay. Once again, if someone could read **"Stories for Brother"** I would be indebted forever. Bleach is not mine.

If you think this story should change rating, please tell me…

They raced through the station, heedless of the CCTV or any officers that might be wandering around. Kisuke led the way, despite carrying that useless, fat lump of an officer over his shoulders. His head bounced with the speed of their flight. The Hollow snickered, despite himself. Yoruichi shot a glare at him, sprinting to keep up with Kisuke. After running past countless rooms and around thousands of corners, they came to the entrance; a brightly lit foyer, clean, with revolving doors. And it was swarming with officers. And they were _all_ looking at them.

Perfect.

"Um, we come in peace?" Kisuke tried, smiling and scratching the back of his head. The Hollow smacked his forehead.

"Is that _really_ the best you can come up with?!" he hissed, glowering at the ex-Shinigami.

"Well, I didn't see _you_ coming out with anything!" Kisuke muttered back, still watching and waiting for a reaction from the policemen, "And they haven't tried to kill us yet!"

The policemen just stared at them or rather, at the officer over Kisuke's shoulder.

"See?" Kisuke smiled, waving his hand expansively around the sea of shocked faces. "Nothing to worry abou-"

"Well, well, well," purred a silky voice, "Look what the cat dragged in."

A door on the far side of the room swung open. A man stood in the doorway, smirking whilst fixing his shirt cuffs with a tanned hand, glasses flashing. _Inspector Kairyo! _Damn it all!

His boots clacked on the linoleum floor as he sauntered over.

"Kurosaki-san," he tutted, sauntering closer, "What are you doing out of your cell? And who are your friends? Co-conspirators?"

"Inspector-san," Kisuke complained, waving his fan in front of me, "Co-conspirators? Us? Not at all! We're…we're…"

"Attorneys?" the Hollow snorted, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets.

Yoruichi hissed at him, fur on end.

Inspector Kairyo stiffened, glaring at the cat.

Suddenly, the world changed. A limp-haired, dark-haired, pale-faced creature with red, red eyes. They glowed in his skull like matchsticks and his lips curled back into a snarl, showcasing his teeth, which had been filed to points like knives. _What was going on?_ Feral growling issued from his throat. The Hollow's eyes widened as fear, like cold, cold lightning, shot down his spine. He stumbled back, back towards the door they had come through, but as he reached the door, he heard dry breathing, like sandpaper. Taking his eyes off the apparition in front, he looked over his shoulder. _It was her!_ He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out but panicked puffs of air that escaped in short raspy breaths. _Why hasn't anyone moved?!_ He backed away from the both of them, away towards the door. The other inhabitants of the room were frozen, unmoving, not helping. Dammit!

His heart was racing and the creatures stalked ever closer. His back hit the door and he shrieked as it span around, depositing him out in the streets. He backed away, never taking his eyes off the doors in front of him. The lights were flickering inside the station. Then, they flicked off, shrouding the station in darkness. When they came back on, the two creatures were pressing their faces to the glass in the doors. The Hollow found his feet again. He turned away from them, sprinting as fast as he could. He had to get away. _Now!_

His feet thudded along the pavement, splashing through the puddles, racing past people, knocking into them, swerving around them… running like all hell was after him. Cars honked and drivers yelled abuse, but he didn't care. The world and its lights blurred into pretty streaks as he ran, the wind stinging his eyes and chilling him to the core. He had no idea where he was headed, but he needed to get away!

He had been running for about twenty minutes, when he had to stop. He clutched his side, wheezing and padded into a cul-de-sac.

"_Did we lose them?"_ he panted silently, sweat running down his face.

"_I think so," _Ichigo replied, sounding uncertain, _"But never mind that! What about Urahara and Yoruichi?! You just left them with those things!" _

"_What makes you think I care?" _the Hollow retorted, indignant, _"I want to LIVE! L-I-V-E! Those things don't want those to goons, they want ME!"_

"_SO?!" _Ichigo roared, furious, _"They didn't leave YOU behind! In fact, they've __never__ left-"_

Ichigo paused mid-rant, as both their eyes were drawn to the lamp post overhead.

The light bulb was flickering.

And, sat on the lamp head, was the woman…creature…._monster_! He watched in horror as she reached down, slowly, in that terrible, jerky, stop-motion way and covered the light with the hand. She squeezed it, and he heard the glass shatter. He backed away, her sandpaper breathing echoing around horribly. Desperately he tried to run again, but the other one- what once was the Inspector- dropped down from out of nowhere, trapping him. He backed up against the wall, unable to move, sinking to the ground.

Running didn't matter anymore, anyway.

He could hear the voices in his head, screaming at him, shouting for him to move, but he just couldn't.

They had found him.

The female one crawled closer, her cold breath washing over his face. She reached forward, clammy hand outstretched. She gripped his face.

And everything went black.


End file.
